Definition of "Government"

Hey mods, I think this is relevant to civil rights, but if you must move it to the Round Table. I have become a senior member, so I can contribute there too.

Look below to see my new signature line. I am just a dumb a$$ed common person, so I may have grammatical errors and such, but I would welcome comments as to what flaws, if any, I have in my new personal definition of "Government"

Of course, you all know that I am entitled to my opinion, but I will most definitely value your contributions.

Main Entry: olÂ·iÂ·garÂ·chy
Pronunciation: 'Ã¤-l&-"gÃ¤r-kE, 'O-
Function: noun
Inflected Form(s): plural -chies
1 : government by the few
2 : a government in which a small group exercises control especially for corrupt and selfish purposes; also : a group exercising such control
3 : an organization under oligarchic control

Click to expand...

Here's Mirriam-Webster's definition:

6 entries found for government.
To select an entry, click on it.
governmentlocal governmentparliamentary governmentpresidential governmentself-governmentstudent government

Main Entry: govÂ·ernÂ·ment
Pronunciation: 'g&-v&r(n)-m&nt, -v&-m&nt; 'g&-b&m-&nt, -v&m-
Function: noun
Usage: often attributive
1 : the act or process of governing; specifically : authoritative direction or control
2 obsolete : moral conduct or behavior : DISCRETION
3 a : the office, authority, or function of governing b obsolete : the term during which a governing official holds office
4 : the continuous exercise of authority over and the performance of functions for a political unit : RULE
5 a : the organization, machinery, or agency through which a political unit exercises authority and performs functions and which is usually classified according to the distribution of power within it b : the complex of political institutions, laws, and customs through which the function of governing is carried out
6 : the body of persons that constitutes the governing authority of a political unit or organization: as a : the officials comprising the governing body of a political unit and constituting the organization as an active agency b capitalized : the executive branch of the U.S. federal government c capitalized : a small group of persons holding simultaneously the principal political executive offices of a nation or other political unit and being responsible for the direction and supervision of public affairs: (1) : such a group in a parliamentary system constituted by the cabinet or by the ministry (2) : ADMINISTRATION 4b
7 : POLITICAL SCIENCE

To make a distinction between organizations in a libertarian society which provide services that governments today provide, one's definition of government should include that

governments claim monopoly in certain realms, claim powers that no individual has rights, and claim powers which prevent individuals' exercise of certain rights (rights which would follow from the right to life, liberty, and property).

Even though the Declaration of Indpendence states this, I don't see this happening too much in our country!

a decent respect to the opinions of mankind
That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government.
Juat a thought, VB

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